Bonusing digital media

ABSTRACT

This invention provides a gaming machine able to provide entertainment content (e.g. ring tones, videos, music, etc.) from entertainment content sources located within the gaming machine or outside of the gaming machine. A player may be presented with entertainment content options that may be accessed via the gaming machine or via another device. In some implementations of the invention, a player may be offered the option of transferring entertainment content to another device (e.g., a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant or a portable memory device). The option of providing the entertainment content may be granted in various circumstances, e.g., in response to an aspect of a player&#39;s gaming on the gaming machine and/or an aspect of the player&#39;s gaming history. In some implementations, entertainment content may be offered as an inducement to join a player tracking program.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/978,043, entitled “PLAY PER VIEW” and filed on Oct. 28, 2004, whichis a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/665,526,entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING ENTERTAINMENT CONTENT ON AGAMING MACHINE” and filed on Sep. 19, 2000, both of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety and for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to entertainment content for gaming machines suchas slot machines and video poker machines. More particularly, thepresent invention relates to methods of providing entertainment contentto a player playing a game on the gaming machine.

As technology in the gaming industry progresses, the traditionalmechanically driven reel slot machines are being replaced withelectronic counterparts having CRT, LCD video displays or the like.These video/electronic gaming advancements enable the operation of morecomplex games, which would not otherwise be possible onmechanical-driven gaming machines. Gaming machines such as slot machinesand video poker machines are becoming increasingly popular. Part of thereason for their increased popularity is the nearly endless variety ofgames that can be implemented on gaming machines utilizing advancedelectronic technology.

There are a wide variety of associated devices that can be connected toa gaming machine such as a slot machine or video poker machine. Someexamples of these devices are lights, ticket printers, card readers,speakers, bill validators, ticket readers, coin acceptors, displaypanels, key pads, coin hoppers and button pads. Many of these devicesare built into the gaming machine or components associated with thegaming machine such as a top box that usually sits on top of the gamingmachine.

Typically, utilizing a master gaming controller, the gaming machinecontrols various combinations of devices that allow a player to play agame on the gaming machine and also encourage game play on the gamingmachine. For example, a game played on a gaming machine usually requiresa player to input money or indicia of credit into the gaming machine,indicate a wager amount, and initiate a game play. These steps requirethe gaming machine to control input devices, including bill validatorsand coin acceptors, to accept money into the gaming machine andrecognize user inputs from devices, including key pads and button pads,to determine the wager amount and initiate game play. After game playhas been initiated, the gaming machine determines a game outcome,presents the game outcome to the player and may dispense an award ofsome type depending on the outcome of the game.

For gaming machine operators, an important aspect of operating a gamingmachine is determining the game playing habits of individual gameplayers. When the game playing habits of an individual player are known,the gaming machine operator may provide incentives corresponding to thegame playing habits of the individual game player to encourageadditional game play. For example, the gaming machine operator mayprovide an individual player with coupons for free meals, free rooms ordiscounted game play depending on their game playing habits.

Typically, on a casino floor with many gaming machines, many gamingmachines remain idle while other gaming machines are being utilized byplayers playing games. When idle, a gaming machine does not generaterevenue for the owner of the gaming machine. Thus, gaming hardware ormethods that encourage additional game play on a gaming machine and/orgenerate revenue independent of the game play on a gaming machine arealways sought after by gaming machine operators.

In view of the above, it would be desirable to provide methods anddevices that create novel incentives for additional game play on gamingmachines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention addresses the needs indicated above by providing a gamingmachine able to provide entertainment content (e.g. ring tones, videos,music, etc.) from entertainment content sources located within thegaming machine or outside of the gaming machine. A player may bepresented with entertainment content options that may be accessed viathe gaming machine or via another device. In some implementations of theinvention, a player may be offered the option of transferringentertainment content to another device (e.g., a cellular telephone, apersonal digital assistant or a portable memory device).

The option of providing the entertainment content may be granted invarious circumstances, e.g., in response to an aspect of a player'sgaming on the gaming machine and/or an aspect of the player's gaminghistory. The aspect may be, for example, attaining a level of a playertracking program, playing a wagering game for a predetermined time,accumulating a predetermined number of bonus points, playing a wageringgame for a predetermined number of times and/or wagering at least apredetermined amount.

Some implementations of the invention involve methods for providingentertainment content. One such method includes these steps: receiving awager for a game of chance on a gaming machine; providing the game ofchance on the gaming machine; presenting entertainment content optionson the gaming machine; and transferring entertainment content to aportable output device. The entertainment content options may compriseone or more of a ring tone, an audio clip, a video clip, a music video,a game and an image. The method may include the step of offering theentertainment content as an inducement to enroll in a player trackingprogram.

The presenting step may be in response to an event in a player's gaminghistory. The event may be at least one of attaining a level of a playertracking program, playing a wagering game for a predetermined time,accumulating a predetermined number of bonus points, playing a wageringgame for a predetermined number of times and wagering at least apredetermined amount. The presenting step may depend on a wageringamount. The presenting step may include at least one of presenting a GUIon a display of the gaming machine and making an audio presentation.

According to some aspects of the method, a complete entertainmentcontent unit comprises a plurality of entertainment content segments. Ifso, the transferring step may involve transferring one entertainmentcontent segment after a first goal is attained and transferring anotherentertainment content segment after a second goal is attained. The firstand second goals may include at least one of attaining a level of aplayer tracking program, playing a wagering game for a predeterminedtime, accumulating a predetermined number of bonus points, playing awagering game for a predetermined number of times and wagering at leasta predetermined amount.

The method can involve awarding at least one entertainment contentsegment of a second entertainment content unit after a player hasobtained all entertainment content segments of a first entertainmentcontent unit. The method may involve offering to transfer at least oneentertainment content segment in exchange for a credit.

A complete entertainment content unit may comprise N entertainmentcontent segments. According to some implementations, all N entertainmentcontent segments are transferred only after N goals are attained.However, all N entertainment content segments may be transferred afterfewer than N goals are attained.

The portable output device may be at least one of a personal digitalassistant, a cellular telephone, an iPod, an MP3 player and a portablestorage device. If the portable output device is a cellular telephone,the transferring step may involve transferring entertainment content tothe cellular telephone. The portable output device may be configured forcommunication with an interface of the gaming machine and thetransferring step may comprise transferring the entertainment content tothe portable output device via the interface.

Alternative gaming methods are disclosed herein. One such methodincludes these steps: providing at least one game on a first device;identifying a second device; and offering to transfer entertainmentcontent to the second device in response to a predetermined criterionrelating to gaming on the first device.

The first device may be a gaming machine configured to provide wageringgames. The predetermined criterion may comprise at least one of apredetermined level of a player tracking program, a predetermined timeof playing a wagering game, a predetermined number of accumulated bonuspoints, a predetermined number of times that a wagering game has beenplayed and a predetermined amount of wagering.

A complete entertainment content unit may comprise a plurality ofentertainment content segments. The offering step may include offeringto transfer one entertainment content segment after a first goal isattained; and offering to transfer another entertainment content segmentafter a second goal is attained.

The second device may comprise at least one of a personal digitalassistant, a cellular telephone, an iPod, an MP3 player and a portablestorage device. The first device may be a gaming machine configured toprovide wagering games. The predetermined criterion may comprise adetermination that a player tracking function of the gaming machine isnot in use. The offering step may comprise an inducement to join aplayer tracking program.

Some embodiments of the invention provide a gaming machine, comprising:and apparatus for receiving a wager for a game of chance; hardware andsoftware for providing the game of chance, the hardware including adisplay device; a logic device configured to control the display deviceto present entertainment content options on the gaming machine; and aninterface for transferring entertainment content to a portable outputdevice.

The interface may be configured for directly transferring entertainmentcontent from the gaming machine to the portable output device.Alternatively, the interface may comprise a network interface forcommunicating instructions to another device to transmit theentertainment content to the portable output device.

The methods described herein may be implemented, at least in part, bysoftware, hardware and/or firmware of a gaming machine and/or devices incommunication with a gaming machine. These and other features of thepresent invention will be presented in more detail in the followingdetailed description of the invention and the associated figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective drawing of a gaming machine for one embodimentof this invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of gaming machines connected to anentertainment content network.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart depicting a method for providing entertainmentcontent according to some implementations of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart depicting a method for enhancing player intereston a gaming machine by providing entertainment content according toalternative implementations of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the inside of a gaming machine having a topbox and other devices.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a network device that may be configured toperform, at least in part, some methods of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In this application, numerous specific details are set forth in order toprovide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will beobvious, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present inventionmay be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In otherinstances, well known process steps have not been described in detail inorder not to obscure the present invention. Moreover, the steps of atleast some of the methods described herein are not necessarily performedin the order indicated.

Some embodiments of the invention provide a gaming machine able toprovide entertainment content (e.g. ring tones, videos, music, etc.)from entertainment content sources located within the gaming machine oroutside of the gaming machine. A player may be presented withentertainment content options in various circumstances and/or accordingto various criteria. In some implementations, the entertainment contentoptions may be accessed via the gaming machine. In other implementationsof the invention, a player may be offered the option of transferringentertainment content to another device (e.g., a cellular telephone, apersonal digital assistant or a portable memory device).

A gaming machine may offer entertainment content options in response toan aspect of a player's gaming on the gaming machine and/or an aspect ofthe player's gaming history. For example, entertainment content optionsmay be offered when a player accumulates a predetermined number of bonuspoints. Alternatively, entertainment content options may be offered whena plays one or more wagering games on the gaming machine for apredetermined time, plays a predetermined number of a wagering gameand/or wagers at least a predetermined amount.

Entertainment content options may be offered when a player attains alevel of a player tracking program. Alternatively, entertainment contentoptions may be offered when it is determined (e.g., by the gamingmachine, an employee of a gaming establishment, etc.) that a player isnot currently using a player tracking function of a gaming machine. Theoffer may be an inducement to enroll in the player tracking program.

According to some implementations of the invention, a completeentertainment content unit comprises a plurality of entertainmentcontent segments. For example, the entertainment content unit may be anentire movie, sporting event, performance, etc. In such implementations,the gaming machine may offer to transfer one entertainment contentsegment after a first goal is attained, may offer to transfer anotherentertainment content segment after a second goal is attained, etc.

These and other implementations of the invention will be described inmore detail with reference to the drawings. Turning first to FIG. 1, avideo gaming machine 2 of the present invention is shown. Machine 2includes a main cabinet 4, which generally surrounds the machineinterior (not shown) and is viewable by users. The main cabinet includesa main door 8 on the front of the machine, which opens to provide accessto the interior of the machine. Attached to the main door areplayer-input switches or buttons 32, a coin acceptor 28, and a billvalidator 30, a coin tray 38, and a belly glass 40. Viewable through themain door is a video display monitor 34 and an information panel 36. Themain display monitor 34 will typically be a cathode ray tube, highresolution flat-panel LCD, or other conventional electronicallycontrolled video monitor. The gaming machine 2 includes a top box 6,which sits on top of the main cabinet 4. A second display monitor 42 maybe provided in the top box or elsewhere. The second display monitor mayalso be a cathode ray tube, high resolution flat-panel LCD or otherconventional electronically controlled video monitor. It will beappreciated that various aspects of the invention could be embodied ingaming machines having either more than or fewer than 2 displays.

Typically, after a player has initiated a game on the gaming machine,one purpose of the main display monitor 34 and the second displaymonitor 42 is the visual display of a game outcome presentation,including bonus games, controlled by a master gaming controller. Also,the main display monitor 34 and the second display monitor 42 may alsobe utilized to display entertainment content some of which may beprovided independently of the game outcome presentation. For example,entertainment content options may be provided in response to one or moreaspects of a player's gaming history and/or game play on the gamingmachine. For example, entertainment content options may be provided whena player attains a predetermined level of a player tracking program.Alternatively, entertainment content options may be provided after aplayer has played a wagering game for a predetermined time, accumulateda predetermined number of bonus points, played a wagering game for apredetermined number of times or wagered at least a predeterminedamount.

In some implementations of the invention, the player may be presentedwith an option of transferring entertainment content to another device.The device may be, for example, a cellular telephone, an iPod™ or otherportable audio player, a ROKR™, a portable digital assistant, a portablevideo player, a portable memory device, etc. The entertainment contentoptions that may be provided to the second device may include, e.g.,ring tones (used broadly herein to include ring-back tones), videos,games, music, digital images, etc. In some such implementations, theentertainment content may be transferred directly from the gamingmachine to the second device by a wired or wireless interface. Inalternative implementations, the gaming machine may send instructions toanother networked device (e.g., to entertainment server 200 of FIG. 2).

In alternative implementations, broadcast events, including televisionprogramming, may be provided to the main display monitor 34 and thesecondary display monitor 42 via a cable link or other suitable linkfrom outside of the gaming machine. All or some subset of theprogramming provided by a television broadcaster may be displayed asentertainment content on one or both of the video displays. Televisionprogramming content of particular interest to casino operators and gameplayers may include, for example, sporting events, talk shows, gameshows, soap operas, advertisements, situation comedies, etc. Inaddition, broadcasts of competitive events on which the player can wagermay be displayed. For example, dog racing or horse racing events may bedisplayed as content on the video display. In such events, there istypically a rather long down time between races. During this period, theplayer may play the gaming machine. Then, when a race begins, the playerfocuses his or her attention on that event without needing to leave hisposition at the gaming machine. Also, the television programmingentertainment content may be displayed while a player is engaged inplaying a game on the gaming machine or between games. Similarly, theentertainment content may include information available on the Internet,including the World Wide Web.

Returning to the gaming machine in FIG. 1, the information panel 36 maybe a back-lit, silk screened glass panel with lettering to indicategeneral game information including, for example, the number of coinsplayed. The bill validator 30, player-input switches 32, video displaymonitor 34, and information panel are devices used to play a game on thegame machine 2. The devices are controlled by a master gaming controllerthat is housed inside the main cabinet 4 of the machine 2. Many possiblegames, including traditional mechanical slot games, video slot games,video poker, video pachinko and keno, may be provided with gamingmachines of this invention.

The top box 6 houses a number of devices, which may be used to addfeatures to a game being played on the gaming machine 2, includingspeakers 10, 12, 14, a ticket printer 18 which prints bar-coded tickets20, a key pad 22, a florescent display 16 and a card reader 24 forentering a magnetic striped cards. The speakers may be used to projectsound effects as part of a game outcome presentation. The key pad 22,the florescent display 16 and the card reader 24 may be used to enterand display player tracking information. As another example, the playermay enter playing tracking information and identification informationusing the card reader 24 and the main video display 34 where the mainvideo display may be used as a touch screen to enter information. Playertracking information may be entered into the gaming machine before aplayer initiates a game on the gaming machine. Typically, the player'sincentive to enter player tracking information into the gaming machine 2is the potential for receiving rewards related to the amount of aplayer's game play.

In addition to enabling player tracking services, the key pad 22,displays (including but not limited to the florescent display 16) and/orthe card reader 24 may be used to enter identification information thatenables a player to access entertainment content and/or to send orreceive free personal messages (e.g., audio, video or text messages) onthe gaming machine or another device. In some implementations, suchactivity is independent of game play and game outcome presentation onthe gaming machine 2. For example, a player may touch a GUI displayed onan area of a display device to select desired entertainment contentand/or a desired mode of receiving the entertainment content. A playermay, for example, select a ring tone and also indicate a telephonenumber of a cellular telephone or similar device for receipt of the ringtone. Alternatively, the player may select music, a video, etc., andchoose to have the entertainment content downloaded to another devicevia the gaming machine via a wired port (e.g., a USB port) or a wirelessport. The player may be provided the option of indicating a telephonenumber, an email address, an IP address, etc., for receipt of theentertainment content.

In some implementations of the invention, a player may enter a personalidentification number into the gaming machine 2 using the key pad 22that allows the player to receive entertainment content such as viewinga movie or a broadcast event. As another example, after entering thepersonal identification number, the player may be allowed to receive apersonal message indicating a table is ready at a restaurant in thecasino or to receive a personal message containing information on asporting event such as a score of personal interest to the playerutilizing the gaming machine.

The identification information may be separate from the player trackinginformation, may be ascertained from the player tracking information ormay be in addition to the player tracking information entered into agaming machine by the player utilizing a gaming machine. For example,the player may utilize an identification number as the identificationinformation that is independent of any player tracking informationentered into the gaming machine. The identification number may allow aplayer to send or receive a particular personal message (e.g. a dinnerreservation is ready) or a number of personal messages during a certaintime period.

In addition to the devices described above, the top box 6 may containdifferent or additional devices than shown in the FIG. 1. For example,the top box may contain a bonus wheel or a back-lit silk screened panelwhich may be used to add bonus features to the game being played on thegaming machine. During a game, these devices are controlled and powered,in part, by circuitry (not shown) housed within the main cabinet 4 ofthe machine 2. Understand that gaming machine 2 is but one example froma wide range of gaming machine designs on which the present inventionmay be implemented. For example, not all suitable gaming machines havetop boxes or player tracking features. Further, some gaming machineshave two or more game displays—mechanical and/or video, while others aredesigned for bar tables and have displays that face upwards.

As another example, a game may be generated on a host computer and maybe displayed on a remote terminal or a remote gaming device. The remotegaming device may be connected to the host computer via a network ofsome type such as a local area network, a wide area network, an intranetor the Internet. The remote gaming device may be a portable gamingdevice such as but not limited to a cell phone, a personal digitalassistant, and a wireless game player. Images rendered from 3-D gamingenvironments may be displayed on portable gaming devices that are usedto play a game of chance. Further, a gaming machine or server mayinclude gaming logic for commanding a remote gaming device to render animage from a virtual camera in a 3-D gaming environments stored on theremote gaming device and to display the rendered image on a displaylocated on the remote gaming device. Thus, those of skill in the artwill understand that the present invention, as described below, can bedeployed on most any gaming machine now available or hereafterdeveloped.

Some preferred gaming machines of the present assignee are implementedwith special features and/or additional circuitry that differentiatesthem from general-purpose computers (e.g., desktop PC's and laptops).Gaming machines are highly regulated to ensure fairness and, in manycases, gaming machines are operable to dispense monetary awards ofmultiple millions of dollars. Therefore, to satisfy security andregulatory requirements in a gaming environment, hardware and softwarearchitectures may be implemented in gaming machines that differsignificantly from those of general-purpose computers. A description ofgaming machines relative to general-purpose computing machines and someexamples of the additional (or different) components and features foundin gaming machines are described below.

At first glance, one might think that adapting PC technologies to thegaming industry would be a simple proposition because both PCs andgaming machines employ microprocessors that control a variety ofdevices. However, because of such reasons as 1) the regulatoryrequirements that are placed upon gaming machines, 2) the harshenvironment in which gaming machines operate, 3) security requirementsand 4) fault tolerance requirements, adapting PC technologies to agaming machine can be quite difficult. Further, techniques and methodsfor solving a problem in the PC industry, such as device compatibilityand connectivity issues, might not be adequate in the gamingenvironment. For instance, a fault or a weakness tolerated in a PC, suchas security holes in software or frequent crashes, may not be toleratedin a gaming machine because in a gaming machine these faults can lead toa direct loss of funds from the gaming machine, such as stolen cash orloss of revenue when the gaming machine is not operating properly.

For the purposes of illustration, a few differences between PC systemsand gaming systems will be described. A first difference between gamingmachines and common PC based computers systems is that gaming machinesare designed to be state-based systems. In a state-based system, thesystem stores and maintains its current state in a non-volatile memory,such that, in the event of a power failure or other malfunction thegaming machine will return to its current state when the power isrestored. For instance, if a player was shown an award for a game ofchance and, before the award could be provided to the player the powerfailed, the gaming machine, upon the restoration of power, would returnto the state where the award is indicated. As anyone who has used a PC,knows, PCs are not state machines and a majority of data is usually lostwhen a malfunction occurs. This requirement affects the software andhardware design on a gaming machine.

A second important difference between gaming machines and common PCbased computer systems is that for regulation purposes, the software onthe gaming machine used to generate the game of chance and operate thegaming machine has been designed to be static and monolithic to preventcheating by the operator of gaming machine. For instance, one solutionthat has been employed in the gaming industry to prevent cheating andsatisfy regulatory requirements has been to manufacture a gaming machinethat can use a proprietary processor running instructions to generatethe game of chance from an EPROM or other form of non-volatile memory.The coding instructions on the EPROM are static (non-changeable) andmust be approved by a gaming regulators in a particular jurisdiction andinstalled in the presence of a person representing the gamingjurisdiction. Any changes to any part of the software required togenerate the game of chance, such as adding a new device driver used bythe master gaming controller to operate a device during generation ofthe game of chance can require a new EPROM to be burnt, approved by thegaming jurisdiction and reinstalled on the gaming machine in thepresence of a gaming regulator. Regardless of whether the EPROM solutionis used, to gain approval in most gaming jurisdictions, a gaming machinemust demonstrate sufficient safeguards that prevent an operator orplayer of a gaming machine from manipulating hardware and software in amanner that gives them an unfair and some cases an illegal advantage.The gaming machine should have a means to determine if the code it willexecute is valid. If the code is not valid, the gaming machine must havea means to prevent the code from being executed. The code validationrequirements in the gaming industry affect both hardware and softwaredesigns on gaming machines.

A third important difference between gaming machines and common PC basedcomputer systems is the number and kinds of peripheral devices used on agaming machine are not as great as on PC based computer systems.Traditionally, in the gaming industry, gaming machines have beenrelatively simple in the sense that the number of peripheral devices andthe number of functions the gaming machine has been limited. Further, inoperation, the functionality of gaming machines were relatively constantonce the gaming machine was deployed, i.e., new peripherals devices andnew gaming software were infrequently added to the gaming machine. Thisdiffers from a PC where users will go out and buy different combinationsof devices and software from different manufacturers and connect them toa PC to suit their needs depending on a desired application. Therefore,the types of devices connected to a PC may vary greatly from user touser depending in their individual requirements and may varysignificantly over time.

Although the variety of devices available for a PC may be greater thanon a gaming machine, gaming machines still have unique devicerequirements that differ from a PC, such as device security requirementsnot usually addressed by PCs. For instance, monetary devices, such ascoin dispensers, bill validators and ticket printers and computingdevices that are used to govern the input and output of cash to a gamingmachine have security requirements that are not typically addressed inPCs. Therefore, many PC techniques and methods developed to facilitatedevice connectivity and device compatibility do not address the emphasisplaced on security in the gaming industry.

To address some of the issues described above, a number ofhardware/software components and architectures are utilized in gamingmachines that are not typically found in general purpose computingdevices, such as PCs. These hardware/software components andarchitectures, as described below in more detail, include but are notlimited to watchdog timers, voltage monitoring systems, state-basedsoftware architecture and supporting hardware, specialized communicationinterfaces, security monitoring and trusted memory.

A watchdog timer is normally used in IGT gaming machines to provide asoftware failure detection mechanism. In a normally operating system,the operating software periodically accesses control registers in thewatchdog timer subsystem to “re-trigger” the watchdog. Should theoperating software fail to access the control registers within a presettimeframe, the watchdog timer will timeout and generate a system reset.Typical watchdog timer circuits contain a loadable timeout counterregister to allow the operating software to set the timeout intervalwithin a certain range of time. A differentiating feature of the somepreferred circuits is that the operating software cannot completelydisable the function of the watchdog timer. In other words, the watchdogtimer always functions from the time power is applied to the board.

IGT gaming computer platforms preferably use several power supplyvoltages to operate portions of the computer circuitry. These can begenerated in a central power supply or locally on the computer board. Ifany of these voltages falls out of the tolerance limits of the circuitrythey power, unpredictable operation of the computer may result. Thoughmost modern general-purpose computers include voltage monitoringcircuitry, these types of circuits only report voltage status to theoperating software. Out of tolerance voltages can cause softwaremalfunction, creating a potential uncontrolled condition in the gamingcomputer. Gaming machines of the present assignee typically have powersupplies with tighter voltage margins than that required by theoperating circuitry. In addition, the voltage monitoring circuitryimplemented in IGT gaming computers typically has two thresholds ofcontrol. The first threshold generates a software event that can bedetected by the operating software and an error condition generated.This threshold is triggered when a power supply voltage falls out of thetolerance range of the power supply, but is still within the operatingrange of the circuitry. The second threshold is set when a power supplyvoltage falls out of the operating tolerance of the circuitry. In thiscase, the circuitry generates a reset, halting operation of thecomputer.

The standard method of operation for IGT slot machine game software isto use a state machine. Different functions of the game (bet, play,result, points in the graphical presentation, etc.) may be defined as astate. When a game moves from one state to another, critical dataregarding the game software is stored in a custom non-volatile memorysubsystem. This is critical to ensure the player's wager and credits arepreserved and to minimize potential disputes in the event of amalfunction on the gaming machine.

In general, the gaming machine does not advance from a first state to asecond state until critical information that allows the first state tobe reconstructed is stored. This feature allows the game to recoveroperation to the current state of play in the event of a malfunction,loss of power, etc that occurred just prior to the malfunction. Afterthe state of the gaming machine is restored during the play of a game ofchance, game play may resume and the game may be completed in a mannerthat is no different than if the malfunction had not occurred.Typically, battery backed RAM devices are used to preserve this criticaldata although other types of non-volatile memory devices may beemployed. These memory devices are not used in typical general-purposecomputers.

As described in the preceding paragraph, when a malfunction occursduring a game of chance, the gaming machine may be restored to a statein the game of chance just prior to when the malfunction occurred. Therestored state may include metering information and graphicalinformation that was displayed on the gaming machine in the state priorto the malfunction. For example, when the malfunction occurs during theplay of a card game after the cards have been dealt, the gaming machinemay be restored with the cards that were previously displayed as part ofthe card game. As another example, a bonus game may be triggered duringthe play of a game of chance where a player is required to make a numberof selections on a video display screen. When a malfunction has occurredafter the player has made one or more selections, the gaming machine maybe restored to a state that shows the graphical presentation at the justprior to the malfunction including an indication of selections that havealready been made by the player. In general, the gaming machine may berestored to any state in a plurality of states that occur in the game ofchance that occurs while the game of chance is played or to states thatoccur between the play of a game of chance.

Game history information regarding previous games played such as anamount wagered, the outcome of the game and so forth may also be storedin a non-volatile memory device. The information stored in thenon-volatile memory may be detailed enough to reconstruct a portion ofthe graphical presentation that was previously presented on the gamingmachine and the state of the gaming machine (e.g., credits) at the timethe game of chance was played. The game history information may beutilized in the event of a dispute. For example, a player may decidethat in a previous game of chance that they did not receive credit foran award that they believed they won. The game history information maybe used to reconstruct the state of the gaming machine prior, duringand/or after the disputed game to demonstrate whether the player wascorrect or not in their assertion.

Another feature of gaming machines, such as IGT gaming computers, isthat they often contain unique interfaces, including serial interfaces,to connect to specific subsystems internal and external to the slotmachine. The serial devices may have electrical interface requirementsthat differ from the “standard” EIA 232 serial interfaces provided bygeneral-purpose computers. These interfaces may include EIA 485, EIA422, Fiber Optic Serial, optically coupled serial interfaces, currentloop style serial interfaces, etc. In addition, to conserve serialinterfaces internally in the slot machine, serial devices may beconnected in a shared, daisy-chain fashion where multiple peripheraldevices are connected to a single serial channel.

The serial interfaces may be used to transmit information usingcommunication protocols that are unique to the gaming industry. Forexample, IGT's Netplex is a proprietary communication protocol used forserial communication between gaming devices. As another example, SAS isa communication protocol used to transmit information, such as meteringinformation, from a gaming machine to a remote device. Often SAS is usedin conjunction with a player tracking system.

IGT gaming machines may alternatively be treated as peripheral devicesto a casino communication controller and connected in a shared daisychain fashion to a single serial interface. In both cases, theperipheral devices are preferably assigned device addresses. If so, theserial controller circuitry must implement a method to generate ordetect unique device addresses. General-purpose computer serial portsare not able to do this.

Security monitoring circuits detect intrusion into an IGT gaming machineby monitoring security switches attached to access doors in the slotmachine cabinet. Preferably, access violations result in suspension ofgame play and can trigger additional security operations to preserve thecurrent state of game play. These circuits also function when power isoff by use of a battery backup. In power-off operation, these circuitscontinue to monitor the access doors of the slot machine. When power isrestored, the gaming machine can determine whether any securityviolations occurred while power was off, e.g., via software for readingstatus registers. This can trigger event log entries and further dataauthentication operations by the slot machine software.

Trusted memory devices are preferably included in an IGT gaming machinecomputer to ensure the authenticity of the software that may be storedon less secure memory subsystems, such as mass storage devices. Trustedmemory devices and controlling circuitry are typically designed to notallow modification of the code and data stored in the memory devicewhile the memory device is installed in the slot machine. The code anddata stored in these devices may include authentication algorithms,random number generators, authentication keys, operating system kernels,etc. The purpose of these trusted memory devices is to provide gamingregulatory authorities a root trusted authority within the computingenvironment of the slot machine that can be tracked and verified asoriginal. This may be accomplished via removal of the trusted memorydevice from the slot machine computer and verification of the securememory device contents is a separate third party verification device.Once the trusted memory device is verified as authentic, and based onthe approval of the verification algorithms contained in the trusteddevice, the gaming machine is allowed to verify the authenticity ofadditional code and data that may be located in the gaming computerassembly, such as code and data stored on hard disk drives. A fewdetails related to trusted memory devices that may be used in thepresent invention are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,567 from U.S.patent application Ser. No. 09/925,098, filed Aug. 8, 2001 and titled“Process Verification,” which is incorporated herein in its entirety andfor all purposes.

Mass storage devices used in a general purpose computer typically allowcode and data to be read from and written to the mass storage device. Ina gaming machine environment, modification of the gaming code stored ona mass storage device is strictly controlled and would only be allowedunder specific maintenance type events with electronic and physicalenablers required. Though this level of security could be provided bysoftware, IGT gaming computers that include mass storage devicespreferably include hardware level mass storage data protection circuitrythat operates at the circuit level to monitor attempts to modify data onthe mass storage device and will generate both software and hardwareerror triggers should a data modification be attempted without theproper electronic and physical enablers being present.

Returning to the example of FIG. 1, when a user selects a gaming machine2, he or she inserts cash through the coin acceptor 28 or bill validator30. Additionally, the bill validator may accept a printed ticket voucherthat may be accepted by the bill validator 30 as an indicium of credit.Once cash or another indicium of credit has been accepted by the gamingmachine, the resulting credits may be used to play a game on the gamingmachine. Typically, the player may use all or part of the cash enteredinto the gaming machine to make a wager on a game play. Depending on theamount of the wager on a game or for a fee, a player may be able toaccess various entertainment content sources, at least for a length oftime. For example, a wager on a game above a certain threshold amountmay enable a player to watch a broadcast event or to access the WorldWide Web for up to a predetermined length of time on the gaming machine2. In addition, cash or indicia of credit entered into the gamingmachine may be used to purchase entertainment content independent of awager made on a game on the gaming machine. For example, for a 10 dollarfee, a player may view a movie on the gaming machine. While watching themovie on the gaming machine, the player may play games on the gamingmachine or just watch the movie.

During the course of a game, a player may be required to make a numberof decisions which affect the outcome of the game. For example, a playermay vary his or her wager, select a prize, or make game-time decisionsthat affect the game play. These choices may be selected using theplayer-input switches 32, the main video display screen 34 or using someother device which enables a player to input information into the gamingmachine including a key pad, a touch screen, a mouse, a joy stick, amicrophone and a track ball.

When a game is not being played on the gaming machine or duringparticular game operational modes, the player may select anentertainment content source using the above-mentioned inputs. In someimplementations of the invention, the entertainment content isindependent of a game being played on the gaming machine. However, inalternative implementations, the proffered entertainment content mayrelate to game play on the machine. For example, the player may beoffered the opportunity to download an audio or video clip that isassociated with winning a prize on the gaming machine. For example, theplayer may choose to set his or her ring tone to be the sound that thegaming machine produces when a player wins a jackpot.

The entertainment content source may include, for instance, a storagedevice of the gaming machine, a CD player, an FM/AM tuner, a VHS player,a DVD player, a TV tuner, a musical jukebox, a video jukebox, acomputer, a server and a media software application. It will beappreciated, however, that any information source may be utilized.

Before playing a game, a player may select the video jukebox, which maycontain a DVD player loaded with many DVDs, as the entertainment contentsource and preview a movie on at least one of the display screens on thegaming machine 2. The DVDs may be stored on the gaming machine 2 or in acentral location separate from the gaming machine. The visual display ofthe output from the video jukebox may be viewed by the player on themain video display screen 34 or the secondary video display screen 42.The sound for the movie may be projected by the speakers 10, 12 and 14on the gaming machine or a player may listen to the movie throughheadphones. The entertainment content received on the headphones mayalso be enabled through a wireless or wired communication interface tothe gaming machine or some other device located within the casino.

The game player may also use the player input switches 32, key pad 22,and other input devices to control a feature of the entertainmentcontent. For example, when the entertainment content is a movie, theplayer input switches 32 and key pad may be operated to fast forward,stop or pause the movie. When the entertainment content is accessing theWorld Wide Web through a web browser, the player input switches 32 andkey pad may be used to operate the web browser.

During certain game events, the gaming machine 2 may display visual andauditory effects that can be perceived by the player. These effects addto the excitement of a game, which makes a player more likely tocontinue playing. Auditory effects include various sounds that areprojected by the speakers 10, 12, 14. Visual effects include flashinglights, strobing lights or other patterns displayed from lights on thegaming machine 2 or from lights behind the belly glass 40. After theplayer has completed a game, the player may receive game tokens from thecoin tray 38 or the ticket 20 from the printer 18, which may be used forfurther games or to redeem a prize. Further, the player may receive aticket 20 for food, merchandise, or games from the printer 18. In someembodiments, the tickets may be used by a game player to obtainentertainment content. A ticket, for instance, may be printed with a“free movie” that allows a player to access a movie from the gamingmachine that printed the ticket or another gaming machine.

Some advantages of providing gaming machines with the entertainmentcontent choices described above are 1) increasing a player's interest inutilizing a gaming machine for longer periods of time and 2) providingmore revenue generating uses for the gaming machine. Both of theseadvantages increase the potential profits that may be obtained from agaming machine. In addition, any entertainment content services whichattract a player to utilize a gaming machine, even activities that donot directly involve game playing, may indirectly increase gamingmachine revenues because once a player is utilizing a gaming machine forany function the probability that a game playing session or otherrevenue generating activity will be initiated on the gaming machine isgreatly increased.

Greater versatility in providing entertainment content and otherfeatures may be obtained when gaming machines are part of a network. Asimplified version of one such network is depicted in FIG. 2. However,the present invention may be practiced with a variety of other networktopologies, including but not limited to those described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/225,407, entitled “METHODS AND DEVICES FORMANAGING GAMING NETWORKS” and filed on Sep. 12, 2005, which is herebyincorporated by reference.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a plurality of gaming machines, 245, 250and 255, connected to an entertainment content network 225. Gamingmachines 245, 250 and 255 are connected in a gaming machine loop 260 ona casino floor. The gaming machine loop 260 may be a series of fiberoptic connections between the gaming machines or some other wire orwireless connection scheme. These gaming machines may be physicallyproximate to one another on the casino floor or spread out over thecasino floor.

Gaming machines 245, 250, 255 and 256 are illustrated with differentcombinations of entertainment content and game presentations on the mainvideo display screen 34 and secondary video display screen 42. Forexample, on gaming machine 245, a game presentation 290 is displayed onthe main display screen 34 and advertising entertainment content 280 isdisplayed on the secondary display 42. In another embodiment, a picturein a picture display 257 is implemented on the main display screen 34 ongaming machine 256. As described elsewhere herein, a player may operatethe input switches 32, interact with graphical user interfaces (“GUIs”)on a touch screen, etc., in order to indicate game decisions, selectentertainment content and/or adjust features of the entertainmentcontent.

On the gaming machine 250, the movie display 275, displayed on the mainvideo display screen 34, occupies nearly the entire screen. In thisembodiment, the player at the gaming machine may be only viewing a movieand may not be engaged in any game play. In another example, the playermay be previewing movies, which may be selected as a prize for the gameplayed on the gaming machine 255. Thus, after previewing the movies, theplayer may engage in game play. In general, the gaming features andentertainment content features available on gaming machines allow manydifferent sequences of game play and entertainment content utilizationby the player. Game play and entertainment content utilization by theplayer may occur in a simultaneous manner and/or in a sequential manner.

Referring now to gaming machine 255, a web browser 296 connected to theWorld Wide Web or some other information network is displayed on thesecondary display screen 42. As an example, the web browser may be usedto obtain information from the World Wide Web, receive electronic mailor perform other information services available through the Internet,Intranet or other network. The main display screen 34 may be a splitwindow. For example, the window may be split into three parts: 1) a gamepresentation 290; 2) entertainment content, which is a broadcast event284 in this example; and 3) touch screen controls 282. The gamepresentation 290 may be used to play a game on the gaming machine wherethe touch screen controls 282 and the input switches 32 are used tocontrol game inputs. The broadcast event 284 may be a live orpre-recorded performance, television programming, sporting event, etc.The broadcast event 284 may be obtained from sources generally availableto the public (e.g. broadcast events) or may be in-house or specialprogramming (e.g. pay per view).

In this example, the gaming machines 245, 250, 255 are connected to anentertainment service network 225 and may communicate with other deviceson this network and other networks. This entertainment service network225 may offer entertainment content and other services to connectedgaming machines and other devices, such as portable memory device 233,cellular telephone 285 and/or PDA 295. The network may utilize anysuitable protocol or group of protocols such as USB, Ethernet, TCP/IPand the like for intercommunication. Examples of devices that may resideon this network include an entertainment server 200 containingentertainment content sources (e.g. a CD player, an FM/AM tuner, a VHSplayer, a DVD player, a TV tuner, a musical jukebox, a video jukebox, acomputer, a server, media software applications and the like), a prizeserver 215, a casino services server 220, a player tracking server 210,and a player coordination server 226.

The entertainment service network 225 may be comprised of fiber opticconnections, copper Ethernet connections, wireless connections or anycombinations thereof of the three types of connections. Theentertainment service network 225 may include a local area networkwithin one location (such as a casino), a bonus game network and/or acashless system network. In addition, the entertainment service network225 may be connected to a wide area network connecting many physicallocations such as a wide area progressive network.

Here, entertainment service network 225 is configured for communicationwith network 230, which comprises the Internet in this example. However,network 230 may also comprise, or be in communication with, othernetworks such as a telephone network (e.g., a cellular telephonenetwork), Network A 235 and Network B 240. For example, Network A 235may be a wide area progressive network and Network B 240 may be anentertainment service network at another casino.

Accordingly, access to the gaming machine may be limited by an internalfirewall within the gaming machine. The internal firewall may behardware, software or combinations of both that prevent illegal accessof the gaming machine by an outside entity connected to the gamingmachine. For instance, an illegal access may be an attempt to plant aprogram in the gaming machine that alters the operation of the gamingmachine from a World Wide Web site. The internal firewall is designed toprevent someone such as a hacker from gaining illegal access to thegaming machine and tampering with it in some manner. The gaming machines245, 250, 255 and 260 may contain internal firewalls.

The touch screen controls 282 and input switches 32 may be used tooperate features of the entertainment content and/or perform game playon the gaming machine. For example, the touch screen controls 282 may beused to select entertainment content from a displayed menu, utilizefeatures of the web browser 296, to change the television programmingcontent (e.g. change channels) and/or for game play on the gamingmachine.

The displayed features of the touch screen controls 282 may changeaccording to what features of the entertainment content or the gamingmachine are being utilized. For instance, when television programming isbeing viewed on the display screen, then features that allow a player toadjust the volume or change the channel may be displayed on the touchscreen. When a movie or a musical selection is being displayed on thedisplay screen, then features that enable a player to adjust the volume,change the channel, forward, reverse, stop or pause may be displayed onthe display screen. When a player utilizes the touch screen controls 282or the input switches 32, input signals indicating a particularoperation are sent to a logic device (e.g., the master gamingcontroller) within the gaming machine and the operation may beperformed. For example, when a player hits a button to fast forward amovie, then the gaming machine directs the entertainment content source(i.e. a DVD player) to perform the operation.

In one embodiment of the present invention, after a player enters playertracking information (e.g. using the card reader 24 or some other inputdevice) and the player tracking information is sent to the playertracking server 210, the player tracking server 210 may examine aplayer's information profile stored on the player tracking server 210.The information profile may contain information regarding a player'spast game playing habits and past entertainment content utilization.Applying software that evaluates the information profile, the playertracking server 210 may transmit instructions to the gaming machine todisplay entertainment content of particular interest to a game playerplaying a game on the gaming machine. For example, the gaming machinemay display advertisements, news, stock quotes, electronic mailmessages, movie selections, musical selections broadcast events andother entertainment content of interest to the player playing the gameon the gaming machine. By personalizing the messages sent to a playerplaying a game on the gaming machine, players may be encouraged toincrease the amount of their game play on the gaming machine.

In general, personalized entertainment content, personalized messagesand personalized services on a gaming machine may be implemented withoutthe player tracking server 210. As described with reference to FIG. 1, aplayer may enter identification information on the gaming machine. Theidentification information may be independent of the player trackinginformation or share elements of the player tracking information. Afterthe gaming machine receives the identification information, the gamingmachine may send the identification information to a server includingthe player coordination server 226. The player coordination server mayassign a communication identifier to the gaming machine. For example,when the player coordination server 226 and the gaming machines 245, 250and 255 use a TCP/IP communication protocol, the gaming machines may beassigned an IP address when a player enters identification informationinto the gaming machine.

Using the IP address and an appropriate communication protocol, personalmessages may be sent to a gaming machine from different informationsources located outside the gaming machine for a particular playerplaying utilizing the gaming machine. A restaurant employee (e.g. theinformation source), for example, may send a personal message in theform of e-mail or some other electronic message to a player playing agame on the a gaming machine indicating a dinner reservation is ready.The process may include: 1) a restaurant employee typing a messageindicating the reservation is ready into a computer; 2) the computersending the message to the casino services server 220; 3) the casinoservice server 220 sending a message to the player coordination server226 requesting the IP address of the gaming machine or othercommunication identifier of the gaming machine where the player islocated; 4) the player coordination server 226 establishing acommunication link between the casino server and the gaming machineincluding 245, 250 and 255; and 5) the casino server 220 sending amessage to one of the gaming machines 245, 250, and 255. In addition,advertisements or news of particular interest to a player based on aplayer's information profile stored on the player coordination server226 may be sent to the player. In this example, the player coordinationserver 226 essentially functions as a message router. Message routingtechnology that may perform some of these functions is available fromCISCO Technologies, San Jose, Calif.

In other embodiments, voice messages or electronic messages may be sentto a first player on a gaming machine from a hotel/casino employeeperforming a hotel/casino service and from a second player on adifferent gaming machine attempting to locate or communicate with thefirst player. The voice messages may be implemented using a Voice overIP technology available from CISCO Technologies, San Jose, Calif. Inaddition, a player on the gaming machines may receive the personalmessage from an entertainment content source being utilized as theinformation source. For example, the information source may be selectedfrom the group consisting of the CD player, the FM/AM tuner, the VHSplayer, the DVD player, the TV tuner, the musical jukebox, the videojukebox, the computer, the server or the media software application. Theentertainment content from the information source may be personalized tosustain the player's interest in utilizing the gaming machine. Forinstance, musical selections from a musical jukebox may be sent to thegaming machine based upon a player profile stored within the playercoordination server 226 or targeted advertising, which may only be ofinterest to select players, may be sent to a select player based upontheir player profile stored within the player coordination server 226.

After the gaming machine receives the personal message from theinformation source, the gaming machine outputs the personal message toan output device appropriate for the message. For example, an electronicmail messages, stock quotes, news, prize information or advertisementsof interest to the player playing the game on the gaming machine may bedisplayed on the monitor, the LCD, the florescent display on the gamingmachine. In addition, these visual messages may be output to a personaldigital assistant, a pager, cell phone or the head-mounted video displaycarried or worn by the player. An audio message for the player may beoutput to a sound projection device on the gaming machine, headphonesworn by the player or a cell phone carried by the player.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a flow chart depicts method 300 for providingentertainment content according to some implementations of theinvention. The steps of method 300 will be described, where appropriate,with reference to the features of FIG. 2.

In step 305, it is determined (e.g., by a logic device of a gamingmachine) that a predetermined condition has been satisfied. According tosome implementations of the invention, the predetermined condition foraccessing entertainment content may be: 1) a wager amount made on asingle game play; 2) an average or total wager amount over a period oftime made by the player; and/or 3) another aspect of or event in a gameplaying history of the player obtained from player tracking informationor some other source. The games of primary interest to the assignee arewagering games, but method 300 is not so limited. The event may be, forexample, attaining a level of a player tracking program, playing awagering game for a predetermined time, accumulating a predeterminednumber of bonus points, playing a wagering game for a predeterminednumber of times, etc.

In some implementations of the invention, the predetermined condition ofstep 305 is the player's acceptance of an offer to enroll in a playertracking program. In some such implementations, prior to step 305 aplayer may have received an audio and/or visual inducement to receiveentertainment content in return for joining the player tracking program.The player's acceptance may be determined, for example, by the player'sentry of the required information via an input device of a gamingmachine.

In yet other implementations, the predetermined condition of step 305may be the receipt of a monetary credit or the like. To accessentertainment content on the gaming machines 245, 250 255 and 256, aplayer may be required to input an indicium of credit for the selectedentertainment content or to commit an indicium of credit alreadyavailable on the gaming machine. The gaming machine may notify theplayer of the required amount by displaying a message of some type tothe player. For example, after a player has selected a video jukebox asthe entertainment source, the gaming machine may display a message suchas “please deposit 5 credits” or “the selected entertainment contentsource requires 5 credits, hit button A to commit this amount.” Theentertainment content source will then be initiated when the requiredfunds have been made available to the gaming machine. In this manner, aplayer may access an entertainment content source without initiatinggame play on the gaming machine i.e. by making a wager on a game.

After the determination of step 305 has been made, entertainment contentoptions are displayed in step 310. Entertainment content options may bepresented in different ways according to various implementations of theinvention. For example, a list may be displayed on an output device ofthe gaming machine. The entertainment content options may be displayedon a first display and the entertainment content (and/or samplesthereof, such as video clips) may be provided on a second display. Onesuch implementation is depicted on gaming machine 250, wherein a contentlist 265 of entertainment content options and/or sources is displayed onthe secondary video screen 42 while entertainment content (a movie inthis example) is displayed on the main display screen 34.

Entertainment content options may be provided, at least in part, inaudio format. For example, ring tones or other music clips may bepreviewed by a player prior to selecting them. In some implementations,a player may receive an audio and/or visual prompt to take an actionrelating to entertainment content options.

In some embodiments, the entertainment content list 265 may indicateentertainment content sources such as a CD player, an FM/AM tuner, a VHSplayer, a DVD player, a TV tuner, a musical jukebox, a video jukebox, acomputer, a server and a media software application. However, inalternative embodiments, the entertainment content is indicated on thecontent list but the entertainment content sources are not. Theentertainment content source may be located physically within the gamingmachine or at a location outside of the gaming machine but incommunication with the gaming machine.

The content list 265 may be presented as a series of menus. For example,after selecting the DVD player as the entertainment content source fromthe content list 265, the content list 265 may display a list of DVDtitles, which the player may select for viewing on the gaming machine.Further, the entertainment content list 265 may be personalized to theindividual player. The entertainment content list, for instance, maydisplay DVD titles that are of particular interest to a game player.

In some implementations, the entertainment content list is organizedand/or searchable by category. For example, within a “ring tones”category, there may be “real” and “polyphonic” (a/k/a “poly”)subcategories. Within each of these subcategories may be various musicalgenres, such as “Country,” “Hip Hop,” “Jazz,” “Reggae,” “Techno,” etc.Similar categories and subcategories could be used for other types ofentertainment content. Alternatively, or additionally, a content listcould allow a user to search by artist, by performance, or by otherapplicable criteria depending on the type of entertainment content. Forexample, movies may be searchable by director, by a featured actor oractress, by the type of movie (comedy, drama, horror), etc. Sportingevents may be searchable by the type of sport, location, team (ifapplicable), date and/or by a featured athlete (e.g., Boxing/MohammedAli/Manila). Similarly, artistic performances may be searchable byartist/group, type of performance, location, etc. (e.g., Cirque duSoleil/“O”/Bellagio/September 2005).

In step 315, an entertainment content selection is received. Forexample, an entertainment content selection may be indicated by aplayer's interaction with an input device of the gaming machine and/orby interacting with a graphical user interface displayed on the gamingmachine. In one such example, a user may select entertainment content bytouching a screen used for displaying entertainment content options instep 310.

In step 320, the entertainment content is output. Step 320 may beperformed in various ways according to different embodiments of theinvention. For example, entertainment content from an entertainmentsource may be output to one or more output devices on the gamingmachine. The output devices may include a video display screen, speakersand the like residing on the gaming machine.

Alternatively (or additionally), entertainment content may betransferred to a device that is separate from the gaming machine, e.g.,a cell phone (such as cell phone 285), a pager, an iPod™, a personaldigital assistant (such as PDA 295) or portable memory device (such asmemory device 233). Accordingly, in some implementations the gamingmachine is configured with wired or wireless interfaces configured fortransferring such entertainment content.

Moreover, in some such implementations a player may be required tospecify a device and/or a method for transferring the entertainmentcontent. For example, a player may be required to indicate a telephonenumber in order to transfer a selected ring tone to cellular telephone285. A player may be prompted to indicate that a designated interface(e.g., a USB port) of the gaming machine will be used to transferentertainment content to portable memory device 233, an iPod™, etc.Alternatively, a player may be required to input an IP address, an emailaddress, etc., for receiving entertainment content on PDA 295.

In general, the entertainment content source may be any device capableof delivering entertainment content to the gaming machine. Theentertainment content source may be adapted for use by a gaming machineand may operate only during selected operational modes of the gamingmachine. By way of example, when the DVD player is utilized by thegaming machine as an entertainment content source, the DVD player may beadapted to respond to input signals from the gaming machine such aspause or stop. The input signals to the DVD player may be initiated bythe master gaming controller on the gaming machine independently ofplayer input or in response to player input. When a gaming machine isnot used for a certain period of time, for example, the master gamingcontroller may transmit signals to the DVD player to obtain outputsignals for at least one of the video display screens on the gamingmachine.

For instance, after entering player tracking information on the gamingmachine, a player that has wagered a certain amount over a certainperiod of time may be granted free access to an entertainment contentsource such as the musical jukebox, a server providing ring tones orother entertainment content, etc. In another example, a player may onlyaccess certain entertainment content sources based upon their playertracking information i.e. only a player with a particular game playinghistory may be able to access electronic e-mail on the gaming machine.

In alternative implementations of the invention, for each of the accessmodes to the entertainment content sources described above (e.g.inserting a required amount of indicia of credit into the gaming machineto access the entertainment content source, making a wager of a certainamount or a game playing history obtained from player trackinginformation), a total access time to the entertainment content sourcemay be determined by the master gaming controller on the gaming machine.A table may be stored in internal memory on the gaming machinerelating: 1) the required indicia of credit amount or fee; 2) the amountof a wager made on a game play; and 3) a game playing history eventsversus access to a particular entertainment content source for an amountof time (e.g. total access time).

For example, for 2 credits, a player may access an in-house TVprogramming source for 5 minutes. For a wager of 5 credits on a gameplay, the player may access the in-house TV programming source for 5minutes. For wagering 100 credits over a period of 3 hours, the playermay access the in-house TV programming source for 5 minutes. Afteraccess to an entertainment content source has been initiated and a totalaccess time has been determined, the master gaming controller maymonitor the amount of time the entertainment content source has beenaccessed against the determined total access time. When the amount oftime the entertainment content source has been accessed exceeds thegranted total access time, access to the entertainment content sourcemay be terminated unless a player performs another operation such ascommitting more credits on the gaming machine towards access to theentertainment content source.

After receiving an entertainment source selection satisfying thepredetermined conditions required to access the entertainment contentsource and determining a total access time to the entertainment contentsource, the entertainment content is transmitted to an output device onthe gaming machine. For example, upon receiving a selection of a movietitle by a player, the DVD player may transmit video signals to one ofthe display screens on the gaming machine or to a head mounted displayworn by the player. The corresponding audio signals from the DVD playermay be sent to speakers on the gaming machine or to headphones worn bythe player. Typically, the output from the entertainment content sourcemay not depend on the game play on the gaming machine e.g. game playdecisions made by the player while playing the gaming machine may notaffect output from the entertainment content source.

However, in other implementations of the invention, entertainmentcontent is provided without reference to a total access time to theentertainment content source. In some such implementations, a completeentertainment content unit is provided to the gaming machine or toanother device. e.g., as described above. In other such implementations,a complete entertainment content unit comprises a plurality ofentertainment content segments. For example, one segment may be a videosegment corresponding to part of a sporting event (e.g., a single roundof a boxing match, a quarter of a basketball game, etc.), to a portionof a movie or of a performance, etc. A player is offered one or more ofthe segments after meeting predetermined criteria, meeting predeterminedgoals, etc. The player must continue to accrue segments if the playerwishes to have a complete entertainment content unit.

Some such implementations will now be described with reference to FIG.4. Here, method 400 begins when one or more games are provided on agaming machine (step 405). The games of primary interest to the assigneeare wagering games, but method 400 is not so limited.

In step 410, it is determined (e.g., by a logic device of a gamingmachine, a server or another device on the network, etc.) whether aplayer has satisfied a predetermined condition. As described above withreference to method 300, the predetermined condition may be: a wageramount made on a single game play; an average or total wager amount overa period of time made by the player; and/or another aspect of or eventin a game playing history of the player obtained from player trackinginformation or some other source. The event may be, for example,attaining a level of a player tracking program, playing a wagering gamefor a predetermined time, accumulating a predetermined number of bonuspoints, playing a wagering game for a predetermined number of times,etc.

If a condition is satisfied, the player is offered a first entertainmentcontent segment. If the player accepts the offer, the player may or maynot be prompted to indicate delivery instructions (step 425). Forexample, in some implementations the first entertainment content segmentmay be delivered to the gaming machine itself without the need forfurther input from the player. However, if the player chooses to havethe first entertainment content segment transferred to another device,such as a cellular telephone, a PDA, a portable memory device, etc., theplayer may need to indicate a telephone number, IP address, outputinterface, etc., as described above. In step 430, the entertainmentcontent segment is delivered.

In step 435, it is determined whether the player wants to continuegaming. In some implementations, the player will receive a prompt, e.g.,on a display of the gaming machine, asking the player whether he or shedesires to continue gaming. In other implementations, a player's desireto continue gaming will be presumed from a positive monetary creditbalance or from one or more other pertinent criteria. In someimplementations of the invention, a player must continue to play on aparticular gaming machine in order to continue to accrue credits, bonuspoints, etc., that are the relevant predetermined conditions forreceiving additional entertainment content segments.

Accordingly, if it is determined in step 435 that the player does notwish to continue gaming, the process ends (step 440). In some suchimplementations, if the player wishes to obtain the completeentertainment content unit but quits playing before doing so, the playerwould need to start over during the next gaming session and re-earn therights to entertainment content segments already earned by the player.For example, if the complete entertainment content unit had 7entertainment content segments and the player had earned 4 of theseentertainment content segments before quitting game play, the playerwould need to re-earn the rights to the first 4 entertainment contentsegments during a subsequent gaming session before earning the right tothe 5^(th) entertainment content segment.

However, in alternative implementations, credits or the like may beaccrued for the same complete entertainment content unit during morethan one gaming session and/or on more than one gaming machine. Forexample, if the complete entertainment content unit had 7 entertainmentcontent segments and the player had earned 4 of these entertainmentcontent segments before quitting game play, the player could earn theright to the 5^(th) entertainment content segment during a subsequentgaming session without re-earning the rights to the first 4entertainment content segments.

There may or may not be a one-to-one mapping between entertainmentcontent segments earned and goals attained. For example, in someimplementations, a complete entertainment content unit comprises Nentertainment content segments and all N entertainment content segmentsare transferred only after all N goals are attained. However, in otherimplementations, a complete entertainment content unit comprises Nentertainment content segments but all N entertainment content segmentsmay be transferred after fewer than N goals are attained. For example,most of the entertainment content segments may be transferred after theplayer attains certain gaming thresholds but at least one entertainmentcontent segment may be transferred according to another criterion, e.g.,in exchange for a monetary credit.

In some implementations, additional entertainment content segments maybe awarded in order to induce a player to continue game play. Forexample, after a player has obtained all entertainment content segmentsof a first entertainment content unit, at least one entertainmentcontent segment of a second entertainment content unit may be awarded.Alternatively, or additionally, a player may be awarded increasingnumbers of entertainment content segments as the player continues gameplay or reaches other predetermined thresholds, e.g., wageringthresholds. For example, during a time that a player is wagering thefirst $100, individual entertainment content segments will be awardedfor satisfying predetermined criteria, but during a time that a playeris wagering the second $100, 2 entertainment content segments will beawarded for satisfying comparable predetermined criteria.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a gaming machine having a top box 6 andother internal components. As described with reference to FIG. 1, thegaming machine 2 includes a main cabinet 4 and the top box 6 located ontop of the main cabinet. The secondary display 42, the main display 34,audio signal processor 534, a video signal processor 536, hard drive532, audio/video output 542, CD-DVD drive 530 and main communicationboard 510 are connected to the master gaming controller 524. The mastergaming controller 524 controls the presentation of games on the gamingmachine and may control the operation of entertainment content sourcesconnected to the gaming machine.

The audio signal processor 534 and the video signal processors 536 maybe media software applications designed to process digital signalsstored on the hard drive 532 or received from the CD-DVD drive 530. Forexample, the entertainment partition 528 of the hard drive may containaudio files stored in an MP-3 format or video files stored in an MPEGformat. The audio signal processor 534 and video signal processor 536may be media software applications residing in memory accessible to themaster gaming controller 524. Examples of media software applicationsmay include audio players, image viewers, movie players and a webbrowser. Typically, the audio processors and video signal processorinclude a number of hardware components. A more complete discussion ofthe use of hardware components used for multimedia application on agaming machine is provided in commonly assigned, copending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 08/911,254 entitled GAMING MACHINES PROVIDING BONUSGAMES filed Aug. 8, 1997, the entire specification of which isincorporated herein by reference.

The media software applications may operate on the audio and video filesstored on the hard drive enabling video or audio signals to be output toan output device on the gaming machine. In addition, the audio signalsand video signals may be output to the output devices residing outsideof the gaming machine via the audio/visual output 542. For example, aheadphone jack allowing a player to plug in a set of headphones intogaming machine may be one component of the audio/visual output 542. Asanother example, the audio/visual output may contain a wirelessinterface allowing the gaming machine to communicate with output devicesnot physically connected to the gaming machine including pagers, cellphones and personal digital assistants.

The audio and video files may be down-loaded to the gaming machine viathe CD-DVD drive 530 and stored in the entertainment partition of thehard drive 522. In addition audio/video files or feeds (e.g. atelevision program feed containing various audio/video signals) may besent to the gaming machine 2 via the remote feed 514 and the maincommunication board 510 connected to the master gaming controller. Theaudio and the video signals may be processed by the audio signalprocessor 534 and the video signal processor 536. For example, theentertainment server, as described with reference to FIG. 2, may containthe video jukebox, the audio jukebox, and the television programmingthat is accessible to the gaming machine 2 over the entertainmentservice network. A player utilizing the gaming machine may makeselections from the video jukebox and the audio jukebox on theentertainment server from a list of selections displayed on the gamingmachine.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a network device that may be configuredfor implementing some methods of the present invention. Network device660 includes a master central processing unit (CPU) 662, interfaces 668,and a bus 667 (e.g., a PCI bus). Generally, interfaces 668 include ports669 appropriate for communication with the appropriate media. In someembodiments, one or more of interfaces 668 includes at least oneindependent processor and, in some instances, volatile RAM. Theindependent processors may be, for example, ASICs or any otherappropriate processors. According to some such embodiments, theseindependent processors perform at least some of the functions of thelogic described herein. In some embodiments, one or more of interfaces668 control such communications-intensive tasks as encryption,decryption, compression, decompression, packetization, media control andmanagement. By providing separate processors for thecommunications-intensive tasks, interfaces 668 allow the mastermicroprocessor 662 efficiently to perform other functions such asrouting computations, network diagnostics, security functions, etc.

The interfaces 668 are typically provided as interface cards (sometimesreferred to as “linecards”). Generally, interfaces 668 control thesending and receiving of data packets over the network and sometimessupport other peripherals used with the network device 660. Among theinterfaces that may be provided are FC interfaces, Ethernet interfaces,frame relay interfaces, cable interfaces, DSL interfaces, token ringinterfaces, and the like. In addition, various very high-speedinterfaces may be provided, such as fast Ethernet interfaces, GigabitEthernet interfaces, ATM interfaces, HSSI interfaces, POS interfaces,FDDI interfaces, ASI interfaces, DHEI interfaces and the like.

When acting under the control of appropriate software or firmware, insome implementations of the invention CPU 662 may be responsible forimplementing specific functions associated with the functions of adesired network device. According to some embodiments, CPU 662accomplishes all these functions under the control of software includingan operating system and any appropriate applications software.

CPU 662 may include one or more processors 663 such as a processor fromthe Motorola family of microprocessors or the MIPS family ofmicroprocessors. In an alternative embodiment, processor 663 isspecially designed hardware for controlling the operations of networkdevice 660. In a specific embodiment, a memory 661 (such as non-volatileRAM and/or ROM) also forms part of CPU 662. However, there are manydifferent ways in which memory could be coupled to the system. Memoryblock 661 may be used for a variety of purposes such as, for example,caching and/or storing data, programming instructions, etc.

Regardless of network device's configuration, it may employ one or morememories or memory modules (such as, for example, memory block 665)configured to store data, program instructions for the general-purposenetwork operations and/or other information relating to thefunctionality of the techniques described herein. The programinstructions may control the operation of an operating system and/or oneor more applications, for example.

Because such information and program instructions may be employed toimplement the systems/methods described herein, the present inventionrelates to machine-readable media that include program instructions,state information, etc. for performing various operations describedherein. Examples of machine-readable media include, but are not limitedto, magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape;optical media such as CD-ROM disks; magneto-optical media; and hardwaredevices that are specially configured to store and perform programinstructions, such as read-only memory devices (ROM) and random accessmemory (RAM). The invention may also be embodied in a carrier wavetraveling over an appropriate medium such as airwaves, optical lines,electric lines, etc. Examples of program instructions include bothmachine code, such as produced by a compiler, and files containinghigher-level code that may be executed by the computer using aninterpreter.

Although the system shown in FIG. 6 illustrates one specific networkdevice of the present invention, it is by no means the only networkdevice architecture on which the present invention can be implemented.For example, an architecture having a single processor that handlescommunications as well as routing computations, etc. is often used.Further, other types of interfaces and media could also be used with thenetwork device. The communication path between interfaces may be busbased (as shown in FIG. 6) or switch fabric based (such as a cross-bar).

While this invention is described in terms of preferred embodiments,there are alterations, permutations, and equivalents that fall withinthe scope of the invention. It should also be noted that there are manyalternative ways of implementing the present invention. It is thereforeintended that the invention not be limited to the preferred embodimentsdescribed herein, but instead that the invention should be interpretedas including all such alterations, permutations, and equivalents as fallwithin the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

1. A method of providing entertainment content, the method comprising:receiving a wager for a game of chance on a gaming machine; providingthe game of chance on the gaming machine; presenting entertainmentcontent options on the gaming machine; and transferring entertainmentcontent to a portable output device.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinthe entertainment content options comprise one or more of a ring tone,an audio clip, a video clip, a music video, a game and an image.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the presenting step is in response to anevent in a player's gaming history.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe presenting step depends on a wagering amount.
 5. The method of claim1, wherein a complete entertainment content unit comprises a pluralityof entertainment content segments and wherein the transferring stepcomprises: transferring one entertainment content segment after a firstgoal is attained; and transferring another entertainment content segmentafter a second goal is attained.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein thepresenting step comprises at least one of presenting a GUI on a displayof the gaming machine and making an audio presentation.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the portable output device comprises a cellulartelephone, wherein the transferring step comprises transferringentertainment content to the cellular telephone.
 8. The method of claim1, wherein the portable output device comprises at least one of apersonal digital assistant, a cellular telephone, an iPod, an MP3 playerand a portable storage device.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein theportable output device is configured for communication with an interfaceof the gaming machine and wherein the transferring step comprisestransferring the entertainment content to the portable output device viathe interface.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step ofoffering the entertainment content as an inducement to enroll in aplayer tracking program.
 11. The method of claim 3, wherein the eventcomprises at least one of attaining a level of a player trackingprogram, playing a wagering game for a predetermined time, accumulatinga predetermined number of bonus points, playing a wagering game for apredetermined number of times and wagering at least a predeterminedamount.
 12. The method of claim 5, wherein a complete entertainmentcontent unit comprises N entertainment content segments and wherein allN entertainment content segments are transferred only after N goals areattained.
 13. The method of claim 5, wherein a complete entertainmentcontent unit comprises N entertainment content segments and wherein allN entertainment content segments are transferred after fewer than Ngoals are attained.
 14. The method of claim 5, further comprisingoffering to transfer at least one entertainment content segment inexchange for a credit.
 15. The method of claim 5, further comprisingawarding at least one entertainment content segment of a secondentertainment content unit after a player has obtained all entertainmentcontent segments of a first entertainment content unit.
 16. The methodof claim 5, wherein the first and second goals comprise at least one ofattaining a level of a player tracking program, playing a wagering gamefor a predetermined time, accumulating a predetermined number of bonuspoints, playing a wagering game for a predetermined number of times andwagering at least a predetermined amount.
 17. A gaming method,comprising: providing at least one game on a first device; identifying asecond device; and offering to transfer entertainment content to thesecond device in response to a predetermined criterion relating togaming on the first device.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein thefirst device is a gaming machine configured to provide wagering gamesand wherein the predetermined criterion comprises at least one of apredetermined level of a player tracking program, a predetermined timeof playing a wagering game, a predetermined number of accumulated bonuspoints, a predetermined number of times that a wagering game has beenplayed and a predetermined amount of wagering.
 19. The method of claim17, wherein a complete entertainment content unit comprises a pluralityof entertainment content segments and wherein the offering stepcomprises: offering to transfer one entertainment content segment aftera first goal is attained; and offering to transfer another entertainmentcontent segment after a second goal is attained.
 20. The method of claim17, wherein the second device comprises at least one of a personaldigital assistant, a cellular telephone, an iPod, an MP3 player and aportable storage device.
 21. The method of claim 17, wherein the firstdevice is a gaming machine configured to provide wagering games, whereinthe predetermined criterion comprises a determination that a playertracking function of the gaming machine is not in use and wherein theoffering step comprises an inducement to join a player tracking program.22. A gaming machine, comprising: means for receiving a wager for a gameof chance; means for providing the game of chance, the providing meanscomprising a display device; a logic device configured to control thedisplay device to present entertainment content options on the gamingmachine; and means for transferring entertainment content to a portableoutput device.
 23. The gaming machine of claim 22, wherein thetransferring means comprises an output device of the gaming machine. 24.The gaming machine of claim 22, wherein the transferring means comprisesa network interface for communicating instructions to another device totransmit the entertainment content to the portable output device.